The 8-0 vote came after a 90-minute public hearing that saw a parade of residents who largely spoke in favor of the ordinance, which requires all property owners submit to a historic preservation review when seeking a demolition permit. That review was previously triggered only for buildings 150 years or older.

Supporters of the measure, which is expected to be supplanted in as few as two weeks by a revised version, said some of the city's newly constructed homes are destroying the charm of neighborhoods, robbing the city of open space and street parking and replacing modest homes with expensive houses that are out of reach to many people earning modest incomes.

"The new constructions are pricing the blue collar and working poor out of this city," Gerald Lyons told the council.

Real-estate developers have expressed opposition to Mayor Steve Fulop's decision to change how demolition permits are approved. Last month, Fulop issued an executive order halting nearly all demolitions until the council approved changes. Four companies have sued the city, calling the order unlawful. The plaintiffs' lawyer says the case is over because Fulop rescinded the order following last night's council action.

Supporters of the measure said developers have misled people about the reach of the ordinance. It does not ban all home demolitions, Yvonne Dallam noted to the council.

"What it says is, stop, take a breath, look at what it is you're tearing down," Dallam said.

The measure approved last night requires historic preservation and zoning officers to review all home demolition permits and issue a report on their findings. If the permit is not approved or denied within 45 days, the city's construction officer may issue the permit. If the permit is denied, the applicant can appeal to the city Zoning Board. The officers' report must note whether the structure is more than 50 years old.

The changes expected to be adopted at the council's next meeting include that historic preservation officer would review all demolition permits while a zoning officer would review permits for partial demolition.

Those changes could not have been added to the measure adopted last night because that version was approved by the council two weeks ago on first reading and the city is not allowed to made substantive changes between first and second readings. So the council gave initial approval last night to the modified version that is expected to be adopted in two weeks.